Reyes unfazed by swirling issues

Adam Rubin has covered the Mets since 2003. He's a graduate of Mepham High School on Long Island and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He joined ESPNNewYork after spending 10 years at the New York Daily News.
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#7 SS
New York Mets

2011 STATS

GM122

HR5

RBI40

R98

OBP.377

AVG.329

“I actually thought about that on the plane last night -- would these be his last games,” Collins said. “My first thought was, ‘This guy has enough on his mind with the legs, the contract, the batting title.’ And I knew somebody was going to ask the question is Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday going to be the last three days here.

“I’m going to bring him in and talk to him about a couple of things. I think it’s going to be very hard for him. I think it’s going to be a hard six days for him. There’s going to be huge distractions.

“The one thing I think he has going in his favor is when he crosses those lines he plays baseball. And I am sure if there’s one guy who can’t wait until it’s 7:10, it’ll be Jose Reyes. I hope he understands to go play and have some fun and show the people -- which they’ve been watching for the last seven years or whatever he’s been here -- how he can play.”

Reyes enters the final six games No. 2 in the batting race at .329, a point behind Milwaukee’s Ryan Braun. Hard-charging Dodger Matt Kemp has lifted his average to .326 in his pursuit of the triple crown.

“Right now it’s not in mind. Let’s wait for the next couple of days when the season gets closer to finished,” Reyes said Friday afternoon regarding whether his career as a Met is winding down. “Maybe it’s going to get through my mind a little bit, because I don’t know if I’m going to be back next year, because I’m going to be a free agent. Who knows what’s going to happen? This is a business. I don’t know what’s going to happen. But, like I said, the next few couple of days maybe it’s going to go through my head because it’s the only place I’ve played so far in my career and I don’t know if I’ll be back next year.”

Reyes said of Kemp: “He’s had an MVP kind of a season. It’s good to see.”